“It’s one of the most exciting things I’ve ever participated in. We’re bringing together clinicians, physician scientists, and bench scientists to talk about kidney cancer research. The goal is to invigorate the science and spur breakthroughs.”
– Dr. Hans Hammers, UTSW
Welcome to #KCRS20!
Video Content Is Up!
KidneyCAN is proud to have held the 2nd annual Kidney Cancer Research Summit, a meeting focused on basic and translational science, as well as cutting edge translational research, on October 22-23, 2020. Over 850 registrants from 43 countries around the globe joined us for these presentations. This work is fueled by the funding from the Department of Defense CDMRP – KCRP.
Thank you!
Thank you to our Co-Chairs, Steering Committee, speakers and panelists for your time, guidance, enthusiasm, and research.
Thank you to our wonderful audience!
- 825 registrants
- 43 countries from across the globe
- 39 U.S. states
We want to convey our sincere appreciation to our sponsors for making #KCRS20 possible. The support of companies large and small working to make new treatments available brings true hope for patients. Thank you to our industry research partners!
If you did not have time to visit the #KCRS20 Sponsors during the meeting, we hope you will visit their virtual exhibits, where they’ve provided many free resources and downloads for doctors.
We value your opinions, feedback and constructive ideas. Please take a few moments to answer our short survey or share your thoughts with us directly by e-mail here.
Until next year, warmest regards,
Susan Poteat, KidneyCAN Medical Science Liaison
Bryan Lewis, KidneyCAN President

#KCRS20 Presentations
Thursday Topics: Keynote, Sessions 1 & 2, Discussion
Welcome and Introductions
Bryan Lewis, KidneyCAN President
Toni Choueiri, KCRS Co-Chair, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Hans Hammers, KCRS Co-Chair, University of Texas Southwestern
Keynote Presentation: “Can Studies of the VHL Gene Get Us to Curative Combination Therapies for Kidney Cancer?”
Dr. William Kaelin, Jr., Nobel Laureate
Harvard/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
The Next Frontier: New Molecular Targets for Kidney Cancer
“Mammalian Stringent Response Triggered by MESH1 Inhibition”
Jen Tsan Chi, Duke University
“TBK1 Serves as a Novel Therapeutic Target in Kidney Cancers with VHL Loss”
Qing Zhang, University of Texas Southwestern
“Targeting IGF1R Signaling in MTAP-Deficient Kidney Cancer”
Ching-Hsien Chen, University of California Davis
“Studying BAP1 in Regulating Glucose Dependency in Renal Cancer: Mechanisms and Preclinical Translation”
Boyi Gan, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Getting the Right Therapies to the Right Patients: Emerging Biomarkers for Kidney Cancer
“Characterizing and Targeting the Microenvironmental Barriers to Immunotherapeutic Response in RCC: Team Research”
Ari Hakimi & Tim Chan, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
“Endogenous Retrovirus Expression, Chromatin Abnormalities, and Response to Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Clear Cell RCC”
Shridar Ganesan, Rutgers Cancer Institute
“Host Immune Signatures as Therapy Response Biomarkers in Metastatic Renal Cell”
Ziad Bakouny, Dana Farber Cancer Institute
“Development and Testing of Circulating-Free Methylation DNA as a Prognostic Biomarker for Recurrent Kidney Cancer”
Daniel De Carvalho, Princess Margaret Cancer Center
“Biomarkers of IO in RCC: What Is an Ideal Industry-Academic Relationship?”
Megan Wind-Rotolo, BMS Translational Medicine Team Lead
Breakout Discussion | Variant RCC: Where Are We Now, and Where Do We Go?
Friday Topics: Sessions 3 & 4
Best of 2020: Including Updates from ESMO
“Translational Science Updates from ESMO”
Tom Powles, Barts Cancer Centre
“Important Clinical Updates from ESMO”
Laurence Albiges, Institut Gustave Roussy
“The Ever-Changing Clinical Landscape of Kidney Cancer Therapies: Updates and Ongoing Trials”
Robert Motzer, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
The Next Generation of Immune Therapies
“Targeted Pro-Inflammatory Prodrugs for the Immunotherapy of Kidney Cancer”
Hans Hammers, University of Texas Southwestern
“Oncolytic Single-Cycle Replicating Immunotherapies for Kidney Cancer”
Michael Barry, Mayo Clinic
“Personalized T-Cell Immunotherapy for Renal Cell Carcinoma”
Shreeram Akilesh, University of Washington
“Lessons in Immunotherapy Failures”
Ira Mellman, Genentech, Cancer Immunology
On-Demand Content
View pre-recorded sessions here!
The Next Frontier: New Molecular Targets for Kidney Cancer
Partha Roy, University of Pittsburgh
Novel Models for Kidney Cancer Research
Richard Link, Baylor College of Medicine
“Modeling Spatial Ecology in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Model: A Novel Tool to Support Drug Sequencing Decisions”
Brandon Manley, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center
“Kidney Cancer (DFCI) Model”
Laura Stransky, Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Germline Genetics and Implications
Khadijah Mitchell, Lafayette College
Variant Kidney Cancer Histologies: Characterization and Therapeutic Targeting
Elizabeth Henske, Brigham & Women’s Hospital
“Defining the Role of Beta-Catenin Activation in Wilms Tumor”
Keri Drake, University of Texas Southwestern
“Molecular Characterization and Therapeutic Targeting of TFE3 Fusion Kidney Cancers”
Srinivas Viswanathan, Dana Farber Cancer Institute
#KCRS20 Welcome & Opening Remarks
Bryan Lewis
Dr. Toni Choueiri
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dr. Hans Hammers
University of Texas Southwestern
“Can Studies of the VHL Gene Get Us to Curative Combination Therapies for Kidney Cancer?”
Keynote Presentation by Dr. William Kaelin, Jr., Nobel Laureate, Harvard/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

The Next Frontier – New Molecular Targets for Kidney Cancer
Moderated by Eric Jonasch, MD Anderson Cancer Center
& Naomi Haas, University of Pennsylvania


“Mammalian Stringent Response Triggered by MESH1 Inhibition“
Jen-Tsan Ashley Chi, Duke University
“TBK1 Serves as a Novel Therapeutic Target in Kidney Cancers with VHL Loss”
Qing Zhang, University of Texas Southwestern
“Targeting IGF1R Signaling in MTAP-Deficient Kidney Cancer”
Ching-Hsien Chen, University of California Davis
“Studying BAP1 in Regulating Glucose Dependency in Renal Cancer: Mechanisms and Preclinical Translation”
Boyi Gan, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Session One Discussion
Getting the Right Therapies to the Right Patients: Emerging Biomarkers for Kidney Cancer
Moderated by Sabina Signoretti, Dana Farber Cancer Institute,
& Payal Kapur, University of Texas Southwestern


“Characterizing and Targeting the Microenvironmental Barriers to Immunotherapeutic Response in RCC: Team Research”
Ari Hakimi & Tim Chan, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
“Endogenous Retrovirus Expression, Chromatin Abnormalities, and Response to Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Clear Cell RCC”
Shridar Ganesan, Rutgers Cancer Institute
“Host Immune Signatures as Therapy Response Biomarkers in Metastatic Renal Cell”
Ziad Bakouny, Dana Farber Cancer Institute
“Development and Testing of Circulating-Free Methylation DNA as a Prognostic Biomarker for Recurrent Kidney Cancer”
Daniel De Carvalho, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
“Biomarkers of IO in RCC: What Is an Ideal Industry-Academic Relationship?”
Megan Wind-Rotolo, BMS Translational Medicine Team Lead

Session Two Discussion
Best of 2020: Including Updates from ESMO
Moderated by Toni Choueiri, Dana Farber Cancer Institute
& Brian Rini, Vanderbilt University


“Translational Science Updates from ESMO”
Tom Powles, Barts Cancer Centre

Important Clinical Updates from ESMO
Laurence Albiges, Institut Gustave Roussy

“The Ever-Changing Clinical Landscape of Kidney Cancer Therapies: Updates and Ongoing Trials”
Robert Motzer, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Session Three Discussion
The Next Generation of Immune Therapies
Moderated by Hans Hammers, University of Texas Southwestern,
& John Haanen, Netherlands Cancer Institute


“Targeted Pro-Inflammatory Prodrugs for the Immunotherapy of Kidney Cancer”
Hans Hammers, University of Texas Southwestern
“Oncolytic Single-Cycle Replicating Immunotherapies for Kidney Cancer”
Michael Barry, Mayo Clinic
“Personalized T-Cell Immunotherapy for Renal Cell Carcinoma”
Shreeram Akilesh, University of Washington
“Lessons in Immunotherapy Failures”
Ira Mellman, Genentech, Cancer Immunology
Session Four Discussion
Variant RCC Subtypes
Breakout session moderated by Nizar Tannir, MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Tannir
Joined by:
Ram Srinivasan, NIH
Elizabeth Henske, Brigham Women’s Hospital
Mehdi Mollapour, SUNY Upstate Medical Center
Gabriel Malouf, Institut de Cancérologie de Strasbourg
Jim Geller, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Roberto Pili, University at Buffalo
Pavlos Msaouel, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Stephane Oudard, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou
Brian Shuch, University of California Los Angeles
Closing & Acknowledgments
Bryan Lewis, KidneyCAN President

#KCRS20 Partners
The second annual Kidney Cancer Research Summit is made possible through the generous contributions of our sponsors:


The Kidney Cancer Research Summit is also funded by KidneyCAN's grassroots supporters, a nationwide network of kidney cancer patients, caregivers, and family members who are committed to finding a cure.
KidneyCAN is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit and does not receive any funding through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) or KCRP (Kidney Cancer Research Program).